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T.iERCK Classen DeWitt. 37 



TJERCK CLASSEN DeWITT, A1^ 



AND SOME OF HIS DESCENDANTS. 

WRITTEN BY RKV. WILLIAM WALSH, 

If 

Newburgh, N. \'.— igo2. 



The NetLerlanders, commonly spoken of as Hollanders, founded the 
first colony on the Atlantic coast of Noirth America north of Jamestown, 
in Virginia. Lord Chancellor Popham's colony on the Kennebec river, 
owing to the severity of the climate and other hardships, returned to Eng- 
land the next year after landing, and no attempt was made for another 
settlement. 

In lG<m the independence of the eleven provinces of the Netherland*'; 
was acknowledged by Philip of Spain, and they became a Repaibllic. Pre- 
vious to this the spirit of unrest excited by the long contest with Spam, 
and perhaps also by the spirit of adventure, ambition and greed, and the 
hope ot hnding the fabled Eldorado, was uppiermost in the Republic. How, 
Hi fact, could the Netherlianders sLt with folded hands when their country 
had been the battlefield of Europe for generations? They were warriors, 
seamen, traders, merchants, and when Cornelius Houtman found himself 
at Lisbon, in 1594, on his way home, his tempting accounts of the rich 
products of the Eastern world fired the adventurous spirit of the Repub- 
lic, and Houtman was fitted out by Amsterdam merchants with four ships 
to trade with the East. This was the beginning; of the marvelous Indian 
commerce of the Dutch, and the wealth of the East soon began to pour 
into Holland. This led, in 1002, to the formation of the Dutch East 
India Co., with full powers for conquest, colonization and traffic from the 
Cape of Good Hope east and to the straits of Magellan west. 

Not satisfied with the East the Dutch began to look to the West as a 
tempting field for enterprise, and in 1G07, the West India Co. was inccir- 
4>orated for thirty-aix years to conqueT and colonize from Magellan to 
iXewfoundland. There was no mincing matters with the Dutch; the world 
was before them and they gave it away without hesitation. And why 
notV It was just at this time (1<;07) that Capt. Newport sailed up the 
Chesapeake Bay and afterwards founded Jamestown. 

In I GO!), the yacht Half-moon, Captain Hudson, an Englishman in the 
employ of the West India Co., coasted along from Newfoundland to James- 
town, Virginia, to which he only gave a shy glancel. Sailing under the 



;3s liisrouR'AL Papers. 



l/iilch flag, he returned norLli, enU'red Sandy Hook, Sept. 3rd, IGUt), sail- 
ed up the " Kiver of the Mountains," flnaJlly named the Hudson, after the 
gallant Captain, as far as Albany, Sept. 2:Jnd. Finding the river too shoal 
ror his vessel, turned the Half-moon to the south, and not hwtering to 
tiafhc with the Indians, as on his way north, he recrossed the Atlantic 
cud anchored Nov. 7, KiOit, at Dartmouth, England, where he was detained 
some months: but he succeeded in sending his report of his voyage to 
Amsterdam before his arrival there. Through Hudson's discovery of 
this noble river, the flag of Holland was borne tTiumphantily along its 
banks, the symbol of a civilization which led the way to the foundation 
of a mighty state. 

In 1613, the Nightingale, Capt. Volkertsen, and the Little Fox, under 
Capt. Jan DeWitt, landed at New Amsterdam to participate in enterprise.3 
of their countrymen in the New World. Other vessels began to arrive 
and the settlements of Forts Amsterdam and Orange were closely sur- 
rounded by the houses of the newcomers. 

It was after this that the Mayflower (Dec. 11, 1620) landed the band of 
Puritan saints, who liked not Holland and its Hollanders any too well, 
on the sterile coast of New England, eleven years after Hudson's enter- 
ing Sandy Hook. For the earliest struggles for political and religious 
freedom on the continent we must look outside of New England. 

Very few of the colonial families of Orange and Ulster were more 
prominent in their day and generation than the DeWitts. more especial- 
ly in the line of Tjerck Classen DeWitt, one of six of the family name 
who emigrated early to New Amsterdam. The relationship between oth- 
er families has never been ascertained. 

The name of Tjerck Classen DeWitt is first met in register of mar- 
liages of the Reformed Dutch Collegiate Church of New York, where it is 
recorded that on April 24. 1656, '• Tjerck Classen DeWitt van Grootholct, 
en Zunderlandt married Barbara Andriessen von Amsterdam." The dates 
of his birth and of his arrival at Amsterdam are not known; the latter, 
probably about ISder-and his home in the Netherlands was probably ui 
the southern part of East Friesland. In company with him was his broth- 
er, Jan (the miller), who lived and died unmarried, and his sister, Emme- 
rentis, who m.arried Martinus Hoffman of Sweden, the ancestor of 
Eugene Hoffman and Charles F. Hoffman, clergymen of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church. 

Tjerck Classen DeWitt's name would indicate that he was the son 
of Class, or Nicholas DeWitt, after the custom of the country and the 
time, and that his mother's first name was Taatje, for his eldest daught'^r 
bears that name. 



T.iERCK Classen I)eV\'itt. 39 



For a short time he lived in New Amsterdam, for his first child \Yas 
born there, but in the Spring of 1657, he removed to Albany, and from 
thence, in 1661, to Kingston, where he lived and died, Feb. 17, 1700. and 
w^here his wife died July 6, 1714. In Sept., 1660, he exchanged his Al- 
bany property with Madame de Hutton for land in Wiltwyck. He was a 
man of considerable means, having been taxed in 1661, 125 guilders 
(about $50) for building a church in Esopus. Affairs seemed to prosper 
with him. as he became the owner of No. 28, New lots. Gov. Lovelace 
deeded him a parcel of bushland with a house, lot, orchard and pasture 
land at Kingston, and Gov. Andras deeded 50 acres of woodland. He was 
one of the signers of the Nichols treaty with the Esopus Indians. He 
also signed a petition to Gov. Dongan for " right of liberty by charter to 
Ulster County to choose their own oflBcers to every town court," but Gov.- 
General Dongan was wroth and the signers were arrested and fined. In 
1685, the Trustees of Kingston conveyed to him 180 acres of land. In 
1685, 290 acres of land were granted to him by patent l694. In 1689 he 
was one of the Magistrates of Ulster County and had held other oflices. 
But finally he died, full of years and honors and having wherewithal to 
provide by will for his twelve children, that they might make a respect- 
able start in life. 

I. The following is the record of the children of Tjerck Classen De- 
Witt. 

1. Andries, born in New Amsterdam in 1657; married, March 7, 1682, 
Jannetje Egbertson, daughter of Egbert Meindeitse and Jeape Jans. 

2. Taatje, born in Albany, about 1659; married, 1677, Matthy Matthy- 
sen (Van Keuren) ; commissioned (1685) captain in the Colonial Army, 
and later served in the French and Indian war of that period. In June, 
1663, Taatje was one of the prisoners with Mrs. Louis Dubois, taken by 
the Indians to their Shawangunk castle and afterwards rescued. 

3. Jannetje married Cornelius Swits, lived in Rochester, Ulster Coun- 
ty, and without issue died 1744. 

4. Klaes, bapt. Feb. 17, 1664; died previous to 1698. 

5. Jan, bapt. Feb. 14, 1668; m. Wyntje Kiersted, d. of Dr. Rudolf and 
Aagbe Kiersted. Dr. Rudolf was son of Hans and Sarah Kiersted. Saran 
was the daughter of Anneke Jans, whose heirs contested the property- 
of Trinity Church, New York. Jan DeWitt died previous to Ap., 1715. 

6. Gertruy, bapt. Oct. 15, 1668; m., Mch. 24, 1688, Hendrick Hell- 
dricksen Schoonmaker, son of Hendrick Jochemsen and Elsie Jan.se 
Schoonmaker. Lived in Rochester. Ulster Co., the original settlement 
of the Schoonmaker family. Had four sons and nine daughters. 



40 Historical Papers. 



7. Jacob, m. Greitje Vernooy, d. of Cornelius C. and Annatje C. Ver- 
nooy; lived on Rochester lands; was one of the Trustees of Rochester, 
and was still living in 1753. He had three sons and three daughters, the 
youngest. Taatje, bapt. Oct. 12, 1710; m., Mch. 13, 1730, Peter, son of 
Pierre and Hester Hasbrouck Guymard, who was a French emigrant and 
settled in the Minising region, now the town of Deerpark, Orange Co., N. 
Y. Guymard is now a station on the Erie Railroad. Peter Guymard had 
three sons and three daughters. 

8. Rachel, m. Cornelius Bogardus (d. Oct. 13, 1709), son of Cornelius 
and Helena Teller Bogardus. Cornelius Gogardus was the son of Anneke 
Jans by her second husband. Rev. Everardus Bogardus, b. Sept. 9, 1640; 
d. 1666. Helena Teller was the eldest daughter of Wm. Teller, who set- 
tled in Albany, 1639; moved to New York and died 1701. After the death 
of Cornelius Bogardus, Sr., his widow, Helena Teller, married Francis 
Rombout, a noted French merchant of. New York City. Cornelius and 
Rachel Bogardus had three sons and six daughters. 

9. Lucas, m., Dec. 22, 1695, Annetje Delva, d. of Anthony and Jan- 
natje Hillebrant Delva. Annetje was a Roman Catholic. Lucas was 
captain and joint owner with his father of a sloop, the St. Barbara, " of 
about fifty Dutch feet by the rule," which, in 1698, they sold to Captain 
Daniel Hobart, of the Island of Barbadoes, for £200. Lucas died in 1T03, 
leaving two daughters and one son, Lucas, Jr. His widow m., Mch. 31, 
1706, Gerrit Van Benschoten, and removed to Catskill. Becoming a 
widow again she m., Oct. 26, 1721, Hendrick Rosenkrans. Among the 
descendants of Lucas, Jr., is the Rev. John DeWitt, Prof. Dutch Reform- 
ed Seminary, New Brunswick, New Jersey. 

,10. Peck, m. (1), Jan. 2, 1698, Marytje Janse Vredenburgh, of Albany, 
and (2), Dec. 21, 1723, Maria Teunis, widow of Jacob DeMott. Lived in 
New York; subsequently settled on land in Dutchess Co., purchased by 
his father from Col. Petrus Schuyler, of Albany, Sept. 6, 1698. This 
land, deeded to him by his father, Feb. 7, 1700, he exchanged with Col. 
Henry Beckman tor land in Ulster Co., whither he removed. He had 
one daughter, who m., June 3, 1720, Hugo Freer, son of Abraham Freer, 
n. Tjerck, bapt. Feb. 11, 1700; died in infancy. 
HI. Tjerck, bapt. 1703; m., 1737, Marjory Sisson. 

IV. Jannetje, bapt. Mch. 24. 1706. 

V. Johannes, bapt. Feb. 18, 1709. 

VI. Catrena, bapt. June 17, 1711. 

Children of Peok DeWitt and his second wife, Maria Teunis. 

VII. Christina, bapt. May 23, 1725; m., Nov. 26, 1748, Arie Van Et- 

ten, son of Petrus Van Etten. 



T.iERCK Classen DeWitt. 41 



VIII. Anna Maria, bapt. (Athens Church Record), Ap. 30, 1730; m. 
(1), Nov. 30, 1749, Frederic Winne; (2), Mch. 13, 1758, Jans 
L. DeWitt. 

11. Tjerci:. nieution Hi jn the will of his father as hi^ youngest son; 
no other record. 

12. Marritje, m. (1), Nov. 3, 1700, Hendrick Hendricksen (Kortrightj, 
and (2), Jan Macklin. 

13. Aaghe. bapt. Jan. 14, 1684; m., Aug. 23, 1712. Jan Pawling, son 
of Henry and Neltje Roosa Pawling. Removed to Philadelphia Co., Pa. 
Son Henry, bapt. Nov. 1. 1713. Other children born in Pennsylvania. 

Tjerck Classen DeWit: died at Kingston, Feb. 17th, A. D., 1700, and 
was buried in the burying ground of the Reformed Dutch Church, in 
the same grave was buried his son, Andries DeWitt, and a cedar post, 
to which is attached a narrow flagstone, on which is inscribed, " A. D. 
W., 22 July, 1700," marks the grave. He gave to his adopted country 
thirteen American born children, and he bequeathed to them evidences 
of his labors, enterprise and love by last will a large amount of prop- 
erty. His will was also evidence of his strong christian character, in 
ccmmiting his " soul to God Almighty, his maker, and to Jesus Christ 
his Redeemer, and to tne Holy One his Sanctifier, and his body to the 
earth whence it came, to be buried in a christian-like manner." 

Tjerck Classen DeWitt was not a peasant nor a noble. He came from 
that class of people which has provided the world with men of eminence, 
phljanthroplats, sta^tesmen, generals, judges, rulers who have been an 
l.onor and a blessing to their kind, and women whose lives were adorned 
with every virtue. He left nothing to show what manner of man he was 
personally, but he did something better, he became the progenitor of a 
race who now (UKii'i are scattered widely over our country and a benetic 
waere\er tneir lot has baen cast. The language of his family was noi 
Geiman nor Flemish, but the Low Dutch — that is the Holland language. 
And tne Hollanders retained tneir language to some extent for some gen- 
erations, and while Old Amsterdam was the Tyre of the 17th century, I 
,iiay contidently claim that to no nation in the world is, the great Republic 
of the West more indebted than to the United I'ro\inces of Holland for 
iis noole principles of constitutional freedom, for magnanimous sentiment 
C!. religious toleration, for sympathy with the sub'jects of oppression, for 
liberal doctrines in trade and commerce, for illustrious patterns of 
private integrity and public virtue, and for generous and timely 
aid in the establishment of our national independence. In fact, 
says a more recent writer than Brodhead, the foundations of our na- 
tional freedom were laid long before the Pilgrim Fathers set foot on 



4l'2 Historral Pateuk. 



I'lymouth Kock. The idea of popular liberty was as foreign to the Puri- 
tan thought as was the toleration of differences in religious belief. There 
was liberty, sufference, toleration, only for those who were of the Turitan 
establishment and accepted the stern tenets of the Puritan creed. Through 
Xew England, outside of Rhode Island, there prevailed an ecclesiiastical 
tyranny, hard to be borne, pitiless in its administration, cruel even in 
its tender mercies. Liberty, in its true sense, was only to be found sou.ih 
of New P^ngland in the colonies of New Netherland and Virginia. 

In religion, DeWitt was not a Lutheran, nor Swiss Presbyterian, nor 
a Puritan. The lieformed Dutch Church was the church of the Holland- 
(.rs in the State of New York. They were not Puritans in speech, dress, 
or in Jewish ideas of keeping Sunday. The Hollanders loved music and 
art, had organs in their churches, and the violin and the flute in their 
homes: loved fun and amusement, enjoyed the kermiss, and made Sun- 
day a day of innocent enjoyment and rest as well as of prayer and diyine 
services. Wherever the Reformed Dutch Church has existed in the Unit- 
ed States in its purity it has been one of the most conservative and use- 
ful of the ecclesiastical corporations, and diligent in Christian work. 

The oldest son of Tjerck Classen DeWitt was Andries, born in New 
Amsterdam. 1657; m. Jann. tje Egbertsen, d. of Egbert M. and .Taeoe 
.Janse, Mch. 7, ir>>S2, and had twelve children, of whom Tjerck, the eldest, 
and Helena, Egbert, Johannes, and Andres, were persons of note. Tjerck'? 
family I will leave for the later part of this pap'jr. Helena, the eiiihth 
child, b. Dec. 7, l»'.'.i.'>, m. June <>, 171!t, Jacob Swits, o^ Albany, son of 
Isaac and Susannah (L Swits, and nephew of Coirnelius Swits, who mar- 
ried Jannetje DeWitt. Among her children was Col. Abraham Swits, 
prominent in the Revolution. 

Egbert, b. .Mch. LS, IC)'.)'.), m. Nov. 4, 172t;, .Mary Nottingham, d. of Wil- 
liam and Margaret Rutsen Nottingham, and had ten children, one daugh- 
ter and nine sons. The 'daughter, ^lary (Mariai;, m. the then Caplain 
James Clinton, subsequently (Jeneral in the Revolutionary Army, whose 
son was DeWitt Clinton. 

Johannis, b. Mch. 2t>, 1701, m. June 17, 17:i4, Mary Brodhead, d. of 
cnarles and .\laria Ten Broeck Brodhead. His son, Col. Charles DeWitt, 
m. Blandina Dubois, and was a prominent olKcer and actor in Cplonial 
affairs during the Revolution. 

John C., son of Col. Charles, m. Cornelia, d. of Mjatthew Cantine, and 
had fourteen children, twelve of whom lived to be old men and women. 
Moses E. and Aaron B. (the 12th birth) were twins, and died a! the ages 
of 71 and 70. Moses E. m. (1) Saloma, widow of Rev. John Nottingham, 
and had Charles and Catherine; (2) Lydia Ann, d. of David Miller, of New 



'r.ii:i!<K Classkn DkWitt. 4o 



Jersey, and five children, born at. Taterson, N. J., tirst, David M., of King- 
ston, X. Y., and has fonr sons, and \\ illiam ('.. of Brooklyn, N. Y., both 
counsellors-at-law. The sons of Egbert, son of Andries, here given more 
at large. 

Andries, son of Egbert, was a physician for half a century in T'lstev 
County: b. Oct. 1-'.. IT'JT: died. New Paltz, Sept. MO, lT!t!i. One of his sons 
was Surveyor General of the State of New Yc^rk. The following account 
is taken from the Albany Argus: 

THE LATE SIMEON DE\VITT. 

A tablet has recently been placed in the .Middle (Old South) 
Dutch Church in memory of the late Simeon DeWitt It is con- 
structed of Italian statuary marble, exceedingly chaste and appro- 
priate in its design, and in unison with the architecture of the 
beautiful edifice in which it has been erectedj. Ou.r citizens, and 
especially the older part of them, will be hi.iihly gratitied in tiuding 
this permanent memorial placed among them of one who was so 
well known and universally respected and whose purity of char- 
acter and integrity of purpose adorned a long, useful and virtuous 
Ufel Inscription on the tablet: 

In ^Memory of 
Simeon DeWItt, 
Born Dec. 2."), 17r)(j, at Wawarsing, Ulster County, 
Died Dec. o, l.So4, at Ithaca, Tompkins County. 
His youth was devoted to study. His manhood to the service.? 
of his country. His whole life to the cause of A irtue and Keli- 
gion. During the war of the Kevolution he was Chief of the Topo- 
graphical Staff under Washington, and was honored with his 
triendship ahd conlidence. For fifty years he was Surveyor (ieii- 
eral of the State of New York. For five years Chancelloir of the 
Fniversity. An honest and enlightened public otticer. He was 
one of that noble band to whose patriotic wisdom and virtue our 
Republic owes it prosperity and power. For many years an of- 
ficer and member of this church. While by his life he proved the 
truth and power of religion, in his death he was supported by iis 
hopes and consolations. 

This tablet, an offering of their affection, has been erected by 
his children at the invitation of this church. 

Mmeon DcWitt was married thrice: 1, to Elizabeth Eynott; 2, to 
Jannatje Varick, widow of Abraham Hardenberg: :{, to Susan Lynn, d. 
of Rev. William Lynn. His son, Richard Varick DeWitt's family, were 
residents of Albany, lSfi3. 

Benjamin DeWitt, brother of Simeon, and fourteenth child of Andries 
pnd Janet V. DeWitt, b. Dee. 0, 1775: died Sept. Id, 1S77, in wNew York 
City. He m. Sept. 27, lsf)0. Eve Bloodgood, d. of James and Lydia V. V. 



44 Historical Papers. 



Kloodgood. Benjamin DeWitt was a physician, and for some time Health 
Oificer of the Tort of New York. His death was caused by yellow fever. 
The following notice was taken from the New York Times: 

COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 

ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT OF THE MEDICAL DEPART- 
MENT. 

The fifty-fourth annual commencement of this Inctitution was 
held at Irving Hall last evening. There was a larj^e and highly 
intelligent audience in attendance. Dr. Thomas W. Blatchford 
delivered the oration before the alumni, in which he traced the 
history of ihe Institution. He spoke of Benjamin DeWItt, M. 1)., 
adjunct Professor of Natural I'hllosophy, as a tine-looking gentle- 
man, of a tall, portly, commanding figure, open countenance, af- 
fable manners, pleasing address and delivery, a popular lecturer 
and a great favorite with the studrsnts, and especially with those 
who took an interest in Natural Philosophy. 

Dr. De\Vitt was an early and warm friend of the College. His 
social position, added to his personal influence and his scientilic 
acquirements, made him an important member of the Faculty, and 
combined with the political influence of Lis brother Simeon, enabled 
him to be of great service in procuring the necessary legal enact- 
ments required by the college. 

Mr. T. B. Satterthaite, a prominent and wealthy citizen of New York, 
president of the New York Mutual Insurance Company, and also of the 
Board of Underwriters of New York, was a son-in-law of the late Dr. 
Benjamin DeWitt. 

Johannes DeWitt, the eleventh son of Andries and Jannetje Egbertsen 
DeWitt, b. Mch. 26, 1701; m., June 17, 1724, Mary Brodhead, d. of Charles 
and Maria Ten Broeck Brodhead, and had two sons and two daughters. 
Tne oldest son, Charles, b. IT'JT: d. 1TS7; m., Dec, 20» 1754, Blandina, d. 
of Gerrit and Margaret Elmendorf Dubois. 

Charles DeWitt was one of the most prominent men of Ulster County 
in the events which preceded and accompanied the war of the Ke\'o!u- 
tion. From 1768 to 1775, he was a member of the Colonial Assembly, 
and, as a member of the last legislative body which sat under Royal au- 
thority, was one of the nine resolute and patriotic men who voted to ai>- 
prove of the Continental Congress, then recently organized in Philadel- 
phia. He was a member of the Provincial Convention of April, 1775, 
and of the third and fourth Provincial Congresses, where he was asso- 
ciated with John Jay, William Duer and others in the Committee for 
Defeating Conspiracies, etc. Dec. 21, 1775, he was commissioned as 
Colonel of minute men. When the State Government was organized, Col. 



Tjerck Classen DeWitt. 45 



DeWitt was made a member of the committee to draft a Constitution; 
and from 1781 to 1785 he sat in the State Assembly. A sl<;etch of Col. 
DeWitt's life may be found in the Ulster County Historical collection. 

The family of John C, son of Col. Charles DeWitt, has been mention- 
ed before. 

Egbert DeWitt, the tenth son of Andries and Jannetje Egbertsen, o. 
Mch. 16, 1699; m., Nov. 4, 1726, Mary Nottingham, d. of William and 
Margaret Rutsen Nottingham, and had ten children, nine sons and one 
daughter, Maria, the wife of Gen. James Clinton. His first son, Andries, 
v/as a life-long physician in Ulster County, and the father of Simeon and 
Benjamin DeWitt. His second son, Jacob Rutsen, was a captain in the 
Revolution, and as a surveyor established the boundary line between 
New York and Pennsylvania. He held office as Judge and Surrogate 'n 
Herkimer and Onondaga Counties. One of his daughters m. Lieut Rob- 
ert Burnet, of Revolutionary fame otherwise known as Major Robert Bur- 
net, of Little Britain. His eighth son was Thomas, b. May '.\, 1741; m\ 
Elsie Hasbrouck, b. 20 Mch., 1750, d. of Jacob and Maria Hasbrouck. 
When the Revolutionary War broke out he went into the army as Cap- 
tain in the Third New York Regiment; afterwards was promoted to the 
rank of Major; was stationed for some time at Fort Stanwix (Col. Peter 
Gansevoort in command), and assisted at its defense when besieged by 
the British under Col. St. Leger in 1777. In 1779 Major DeWitt was with 
Gen. Sullivan's successful expedition against the Indians. After the 
close of the war he lived at Kingston, where he died Sept. 7, 1809. 

^lajor Thomas DeWitt's eldest son, Jacob H., was adjutant in the war 
of 1812; afterwards was commissioned as Colonel. In 1819 was elect'^d 
by the Clintonian party to Congress. In 1839 and 1847 was a member .if 
the State Legislature. He died at Kingston Jan. 30, 1857, in his 73rd 
year. 

The Rev. Dr. Thomas DeWitt, Major DeWitt's young'est son, wa,3 a 
graduate of Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. After completing his 
theological studies, and for a time a pastor in Duchess Co., he was ca,ll- 
ed to the Collegiate Reformed Dutch Church in New York City, of which 
he was for many years the honored and beloved senior pastor. Dr. De- 
Witt was one of the most learned and able theologians of his time. He 
was president of the New York Historical Society. He was born Sept. 
13, 1791; m., Oct. 16, 1826, Eliza Ann Waterman, d. of Jedediah and Julia 
P. Waterman; died May 18, 1874. 

Jacob Hasbrouck DeWitt, eldest son of Thomas, and brother of Rev. 
Dr. DeWitt, was a resident of Kingston; was Adjutant in War of 1812, af- 
terwards Col. in State Militia; was a member of Congress and also of the 



46 Historical Papers. 



Legislature of New York. His daughter, Mary, married Evans, 

and to their son, Thomas G. Evans, counsellor-at-law, the DeWitt family 
are deeply indebted for securing a very complete record of its history. 

Tjerck, the oldest son of Andries and Jannetje Egbertsen DeWitt. and 
grandson of T. C. DeWitt, was bapt. Jan. 12, 1683; m., Jan. 18, 1708, Anne 
Pawling (bapt. June 19, 1687). daughter of Henry and Neltje Roosa Pawl- 
ing, by whom he had six children. For his second wife he married De- 
borah (bapt. Sept. 14, 1684), d. of Egbert H. and Annetje B. Schoonraaker. 
Tjerck died at Kingston Aug. 30, 1762, with no issue by his second wife. 

Petrus DeWitt, the fifth child of Tjerck and Anne Pawling DeWitt, 
was bapt. July 15. 1752; died Jan. 3, 1790; married Rachel Radcliff, d. cf 
Joachum and Ilillitje Hogebom Radcliff. Joachum, Radcliff and wife were 
narried at ("laverack, Feb. L'8, 1722 or '2?), by Rev. I'etrus Van Driesen. 
Petrus DeWitt and Rachel Radcliff were married Jun° s, 174'>. with p li- 
cense by Rev. (ieo. Wilhelmus Mancius, of Kingston, and resided on lands 
a* Pawling"s purchase, given him by his father (probably now "the Locust," 
owned by the Dinsmore family), having been inherited by his mother 
from her father, Henry Pawling, to whom 4.000 acres of land were grant- 
ed by Patent by Gov. Fletcher. May 11, 1696. This tract of land was jn 
the east side of Hudson's River, south of and adjoining the town of Rhino- 
back, extending east <'o the Crum Elbow t'reek, and following th^t creek 
to Hudson's River. The family of Henry Pawling were: 1, Jane; ?. 
Wyntje: 'i, John; 4, Albert; ."), Anne; (!, Henry, and 7. Mary. Ry one of 
the descendants of Henry. Jr., Henry Pawling is said to have been a 
British officer, a friend of William Penn, from whom he received a grant 
of 5.000 acres of land in Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania. The family ao- 
pear to have sold out the Duchess County land and removed to Pennsyl- 

Petrus DeWitt. b. in Kingston, m. Rachel Radcliff, Dec. 14, 1723. The 
vanla. where their descendants are still (1902) living, 
following entries in his Bible on the occasion of his marriage and the 
birth of his children are perhaps without a parallel at the present day 
(1902): 

On his marriage: 

" 'I'he Holy Trinity grant us health and happiness in ihis state to 
the glory of His Holy Name and to the salvation of our souls, and 
that we may live together to see our children and their children in 
peace, holiness and prosperity in such a form that we may, with a 
clear conscience, present them with us at the last day before the 
merciful throne of our Blessed Saviour, there to hear His blessed 
voice, come ye blessed children of my Father, inherit the Kingdom 
prei)ared for you before the foundation of the world." 



Tjerck Classen DkWitt. 47 



On the birth of his only son, John DeWitt: 

" 1752, Feb. 24. At one o'clock p. m. was born our first son, 
John. The Lord of Heaven and earth bless him wilth many, happy 
days that through the grace of God he may grow up in wisdom and 
understanding to the honor of His Holy Name; to the greatest joy 
and satisfaction of his parents, in the love, to the wonder and a.s- 
sistance of his neighbors, and a true lover of his country in all 
that is just and right. 

" He is named after his uncle, John DeWitt, b. Aug. 13, 1720, and 
died May 30, 1749, in Bermuda. His God-father is my honored fath- 
er, Tjerck DeWitt, and his God-mother my step-mother, Deborah. 
He was presented to baptism by Hilgontje Van Dusen, and was bap- 
tized by the Kev. Eggo Tonkins Van Hoevenbergh." 

On the birth of his first daughter: 

" 1753, Dec. 31. Hillitje, our first daughter, was born about 9 
o'clock p. m. 

" The Creator of mankind grant her grace to grow up in truth 
and righteousness and bless her in a long life in peace, plentifnl- 
ness and prosperity, and when her days are so spent, to take her to 
Himself in eternal bliss. 

■' My father-in-law, Joachim Radcliff, is her God-father, and my 
mother-in-law, Hillitje, is her God-mother, and is named after her 
God-mother. She w'as presented to baptism by Madam Van Hoe- 
venbergh, and was baptized by the Kev. Egj,o Tonkins \'an Hoeven- 
bergh. 

" i762, Oct. 26, was born our second daughter, Ann. My brother 
Andreas being God-father, and his spouse, Rachel, being her God- 
mother. She was named after my mother, Ann Pawling, and was 
baptized by Rev. Eggo Tonkins Van. Hoevenbergh. 

" The Creator of the Universe, wherein she is corporated, grant 
her long life, and health, and happiness, and wealth, and charity, to 
the glory of her Redeemer, to the full satisfaction of her parents, 
and the salvation of her precious soul. 

" This lady was married to Philip D. Bevier, Esquire, of Roches- 
ter in Ulster Co., has one son and seven daughters. Died Nov., 
1834. 

" Hillitje DeWitt died at Rochester, 1807, and was buried there. 

" Petrus DeWitt died Jan. 3, 1790, aged 69 years and 6 mos. 
Rachel, his widow, died July 20, 1794, and are buried in the church- 
yard of the Reformed Dutch Church of Rhinebeck. The headstones 
to their graves and also those of -Xeltje and Allies Sherbrcok. chil- 
dren of John and Catherine Van Vleet, have been in good order." 

The record of the Radcliff family, which gave Petrus DeWitt his wife. 
Rachel, goes back near to 1650, in Joachim, who m. Rachel Lambertse 
Van Valkenberg. Of their six children, Joachim, Jr., was the youngest. 



48 Historical Paters. 



l^p was born Nov. 2l', KiWT, and ra. Hillitje Hogetbom, Feb. 23, 1722-'23. 

1. Uachel, m. Petriis DeWitt: 2, Johannes, m. Hillitje Schermerhorn; 'A, Ja- 
netje, m. Kev. EgijOf Tonkins Van Ilqsvenbergh; 4, Hillitje, m. Adam 
Barach (now Berg), and had daughters, Mrs. Spencer, Mrs. Spies, and son 
Jacob, m. Leah Radcliff, and his daughter, Mrs. Kipp of Rhinebeck Land- 
ing. 

William Radcliff, son of Joachim, Jr., b. July 6, 1737; m., Ap. 10, 176L 
Sarah Kip, of Kipsburg, by Dominie Van Hpevenbergh. He had seven 
children: 1, Hillitje, m. Moses Cantine of Kingston Point; 2, Jacob, m. 
d. of Kev. Wm. Smith of Sharon, '.'onn.; 3, Clariije, died young: 4, Wil- 
!"'am, m. Catherine Van Xess of KedhooK; T^, Claritje, m. John V.| H. 
Huyck, d., Mr. and Mrs. Julia Baldwin, of Middletown, Conn.; 6, John, m. 
Jane, d. of Gen. David Van Ness of Redhook; 7, Peter, m. d. of John Dav- 
enport, of Stamford, Conn. Of these four sons, Jacob and William were 
graduates of Princeton College; John and Peter graduates of Yale. Jacob 
and Peter became eminent as lawyers; William and John were merchants 
in New York in the Demerara trade. 

Petrus DeWitt's only son, John, b. Feb. 24, 1752, m. Catherine Van 
Vleet, oldest d. of Dirck and Helena Weaver Van Vleet, of Charlotte Pre- 
cinct, Duchess Co., Apr., 1773; John 21 and the bride 18. The connection 
was said to be very distasteful to his parents, but Catherine was a beau- 
tiful girl, and the story runs that John, one morning, saddled his horse, 
P'lt on a pillion and met the beauty, rode to Rhinebeck .and probaMy 
were married by Rev. Mr. Keogh, pastor of the R. Dutch Church. Mch. 

2, 1774, was born their oldest child; bapt. Ap. 10, by Rev. Mr. Keogh, her 
grandfather, Peter, and Grandmother, Rachel, being her God-father and 
God-mother. The runaway couple had been forgiven, but this did not pre- 
vent his father, Petrus, from banishing his son to a farm five miles east 
of Hyde Park, called Clinton's Corners, where John built a commodious 
house, and there his beautiful and buxom wife made him the happy fath- 
er of 14 children, viz: 

1, Rachel, nx Joshua Ebenezer Rathbone Bijrch, M. !>., of North East, 
who subsequently settled in New York and had six children. 2. May 13, 

1775, Helena, her grandparents, Dirck and Helena Van Yliet, being her 
God-father and God-mother; m. Dr. Gilbert Smith, of New Town, Long Isl- 
and, subsequently <Df New York, and had sieven children. 3, Noltje, b. 

1776, died young, buried in Rhinebeck church yard. 4. Oct. 3, 1778, Neltie, 
died at West Point, N. Y., Sept. 21, 1,S32. • H. Ap. lit. 1780, Peter; m. Janet 
d. of (Jeorge (iosman; had in sons and 2 daughters: died Stl. Mark's Place, 
New York, May 10, 1851; 71 years of age on the 19th of April previous 
(1851. 6. Cornelius, b. April 1, 1782; d. Newburgh, N. Y., Dec. 5, 1809; 



T.iERrK Classen DeWitt. 41) 



buried in old Newburgh burying ground. 7. B. Oct. 18, 1783, Hillitje; m. 
John Chambers, Newburgh. May 9, 1809; had 2 sons and 2 daughters; d. 
June 13, 1856. 8. Mar. 27. 1785, Andrew, single; d. Oct. 25, 1840. 9. Atig. 
6, 1786, Elizabeth; m. John H. Walsh; had 4 sons and 3 daughters. 10. 
Apr. 2nd, 17SS, Richard: d. single, Nov. 5, ISOG. 11. Apr. i:'., 1790, Miles 
Sherbrook; d. Jan. 30, 1795. 12. Feb. 25, 1792, William Radcliff; m.. 1, 
Julia Woodhull; 2, Mary Elizabeth Wallace. 13. Jan. 14, 1794, John; m. 
Harriet, d. W. A. Clark, of Cornwall,, N. Y.; had 4 daughters and 1 Kson. 
14. Feb. 16, 1800, Miles; died 1812, from a fall from a horse; buried in 
Newburgh burying ground. 

John DeWitfs wife, Catherine, died at Newton, Long Island, when on 
a visit to her d. Mrs. Helena Smith. Sept. 29, 1804. This loss led to his 
•ramoval from Duchess Co. to Albany, N. Y. He sold a;Tl his posses- 
sions, farm, mill, store, &c., gave freedom to a number of black 'Slav-f^s. 
all Olid enough to care for themselves, and remained in Albany two years, 
when he came to Newburjih, N. Y. (1S06) for the purpose of purchasing 
lands for friends in Rhinebeck, Albany and himself, in Sullivan County, 
ire purchased a large tract, employed surveyors, built roads and some sort 
of a house, and from fatigue and exposure contracted fever and died on 
the 28th day of April, 1808, in his 57th year. The grave of John DeWitt 
is in the Old Newburgh Burying Ground with those of four of his sons. 

It may be justly said that John DeWitt was a man of superior char- 
acter. To strong natural abilities and the bes^ education the times af- 
forded, to good sense were united in him the best moral qualities of the 
Holland character, and what some scarcely regard as chai-acteristic of the 
Hollander, enterprise, forethought and far-sightedness. He was one of 
the first farmers of Duchess County to introduce plaster as a fifrtilizer: 
he gave freedom to hi's slaves when the sepai-ation would be a boon to 
them and no loss to himself. Along with his father he cast his lot with 
the patriots of our country and served as Captain in a regiment who guard- 
ed the Connecticut frontier. After peace with Great Britain was achieved, 
he was a member of the Assembly of New York, 17Sr., 1788, 17S<» and 1794. 
Twice he was sheriff of Duchess County under the Council of .Appoint- 
ment, viz., from 1789 to 179.3 and from 1794 to 1797, and was uriied by (iov. 
.lay to take a third appointment. But the most notable event in his piib- 
lic life was his appointment along with Zephaniah Piatt, Madanchon Smith. 
J.-icobus Swartwout, Jonathan Akins, Ezra Thompson and Gilbert Living- 
ston to represent Duchess County in the Convention called to consider and 
vote on the adoption of the Federal Constitution. Sixty-five members from 
14 counties assembled in Poughkeepsie June 17: adjourned July 2<>, 1788. 
Gov. George Clinton, from Lister, presided: Gen. James Clinton was also 



<^l:^ 



oO Historical Papers. 



a member, and the brothers led the Clintonian taction. Alexander Hamil- 
ti n, of New York, was leader of the Federalist section. Party feeling, 
iailuence and discussion ran high and prolonged the sessions to that ex- 
tent, and that when news was received of the vote of New Hampshire and 
~\ irginia in favor of the adoption of the Constitution, making the nine 
votes necessary to the adoption. New York's was no longer necessary, but 
on the final vote ;>1 voted in favor and 27 against adoption. John DeWitt 
voted in favor of the Federal Constitution. He then broke from the Clin- 
tonians and the aspirations of (Jov. (Jeorge Clinton for the Presidency 
Avere defeated. Here the political career of John I)e\Vittt ended. He 
served his, country well and died. He was strongly in favor of the Con- 
stitution by which " we, the people of the United States," were made a con- 
£-olidated nation. It was from ithe personal sacrifices and labors of many 
members of the DeWitt family that succeeding generations have enjoyed 
the blessing of a free and enlightened Government. 



Lt N 10 



